Kala Ortwein, a 26-year-old master of arts student at the University of Calgary, grew up having a homeless father, and holds a poster of her sentiment towards that on March 20, 2015. Ortwein is working on a research study which examines the experiences of daughters of homeless men. Crystal Schick / Calgary Herald

When Kala Ortwein wanted to see her father, she first had to find him.

No telephone and no permanent address made connecting with her dad difficult.

“I spent a lot of time trying to track him down,” said 26-year-old Ortwein, who would drive around her small hometown in B.C., keeping her eyes peeled for her father.

If she succeeded in finding her dad, and he was in good sprits, the pair would go for drives through the mountains, run errands, or eat dinner together.

Ortwein was 17 when her father began living on the streets, and for the next seven years, up until his death in 2013, Ortwein’s dad struggled with homelessness.

Ortwein has long wanted to better understand the relationship she had with her father during those years. Today, she’s doing just that through a study examining the experiences of adult daughters of homeless men.

Kala Ortwein, a 26-year-old master of arts student at the University of Calgary, grew up having a homeless father, the man in the photograph she holds on March 20, 2015.Crystal Schick /
Calgary Herald

Ortwein, a master’s student at the University of Calgary, is seeking 10 women whose fathers have experienced homelessness for more than one year, for a qualitative study.

She has created bold posters to attract participants who will partake in confidential one-on-one interviews and a focus group about their experiences.

When the interviews are complete, Ortwein plans to produce an autoethnography — a research method that explores the researcher’s personal experience — and interlace her own story with a theoretical analysis of the interviews.

The project is dedicated to her late father.

Research centred on the adult children of people experiencing homelessness is sparse, and Ortwein hopes the finished project will shape perceptions surrounding homelessness.

Losing touch with family and seeing supportive relationships break down is one of the biggest traumas that homeless people face, said Tim Richter, president and CEO of the Canadian Alliance To End Homelessness.

“And the key to long-term success after leaving homelessness is reconnecting with those supportive relationships,” he said.

Homelessness is typically studied from the perspective of the person experiencing it said Richter, who called Ortwein’s project intriguing.

“We’ll see the person in the shelter, but we don’t see the rest of the family that’s left behind,” he said.

One of the posters Ortwein has created to recruit participants states: “I was 17 when my dad became homeless. He lost everything. And I lost him.”

Another lists some of the names Ortwein says her father was called while living on the streets: hobo, schitzo, junkie and whack-job.

“Me, I called him ‘dad,’ ” states the powerful poster.

Ortwein said her father, who was one of the few people experiencing homelessness in a small town of 3,000 people, was verbally and physically abused while living on the streets, and he was known as the town drunk.

“It’s difficult to imagine the lack of compassion, the lack of empathy,” she said.

“These people have stories and lives, and a lot of times, homelessness is the only answer.”

Ortwein’s parents divorced when she was a child, and when she was young, her father would sing her songs, play Frisbee with her, and take her for drives.

“When I was a little girl, my dad was my hero. He was my superman. It was really difficult to see how he changed into a different person,” Ortwein said.

It was the death of his mom, his main support system, that sent Ortwein’s father into a downward spiral. He struggled with mental health issues and alcoholism, Ortwein said.

“Growing up in a small town, my friends were supportive, but no one understood what was going on,” Ortwein said.

Overtime, Ortwein rebuilt a relationship with a man she described as genuine, kind, and full of love.

“I wish that other people loved him as much as he loved the whole world,” she said.

The master of arts student is eager to hear the stories of fellow women whose dads have also experienced homelessness.

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